v.
Pronunciation: ' bo ̇ l-k ə - ˌ n ī z
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form: -ized ; -iz · ing
Usage: often cap
Etymology: Balkan Peninsula
Date: 1919
1 : to break up (as a region or group) into smaller and often hostile units
2 : DIVIDE , COMPARTMENTALIZE <now pop culture has been balkanized; it is full of niches, with different groups watching and playing their own things ― Richard Corliss>
– bal · kan · i · za · tion \ ˌ bo ̇ l-k ə -n ə - ' z ā -sh ə n \ noun often cap